So most US distributers of the Osram Xenarc bulbs are marking them up over 50% (some approach 100% markup). At least that's what I assume when I see what I can get them for off German suppliers on eBay.

Do you guys think that German suppliers with 10,000 feedback score and 99.9% positive feedback are selling genuine new Osram HID bulbs? Seems to me they are...and given the price on a pair $120-135...I have to conclude that US resellers are making bank when they sell individual bulbs for $100+

I've decided on the Osram Xenarc Night Breaker Unlimited D2S bulbs. They seem to be the latest and greatest of HID bulbs (surpassing the CBI even).

 

Is this low cost overseas distributor an authorized retailer for the product? That's the only way to know for certain if the product is genuine. They may be, they may not be. But how would you know?

 

Too good to be true usually means too good to be true.

 

I thought the immense feedback would be an indicator.
What about price? Are they really that cheap in Europe? Are we being upcharged 50-100%? Does anyone know what they sell for in Europe from legitimate resellers?

 

My 2 cents worth .... eBay has become the new NYC streets, full of knock-offs and fakes. It doesn't take much to fake and pad positive comments. I hardly ever buy stuff from eBay anymore, ripped off too many times. I only buy if it has a "buy now" option from retailer that has a legitimate, separate URL for their store, in the United States.

No offense to NYC residents, those street vendors are part of the charm .... and you know what you are getting with them.

 

The bulbs going for $75-90 are FAKES.

I was a victim...and let me just say they are REALLY good looking fakes...look JUST like the real bulbs...

Thing is...they dont perform better than OEM.

Stick to the real stuff and buy from TRS

 

People buying counterfeit goods (especially when they feel they have "gotten over" on all the idiots paying full price) are unlikely to know they are buying fakes or refuse to admit they are buying fakes. Auto parts are no different than handbags, clothing, shoes, etc. The price of a Top Secret Aero kit is what it is. People who'd rather spend 30-40% of that on a knockoff and use the rest of the money elsewhere are getting poor fit and finish and lesser quality materials and craftsmanship. But they're OK with that.

If you find out the suggested retail price from the manufacturer and find sellers selling far below that point and what known legitimate sellers are selling for, you likely have fakes, off spec, or stolen goods.

Buy them legit at the selling price or buy the discounted knockoffs. The choice is yours and you'll have people that support or disagree with what you've chosen to do no matter which you choose.

 

don't buy the fakes you will end up having to flicker your lights on and off just to get both sides to light up.

...I have to do that every night

 

Is TRS "The Retrofit Source"?

If so, the Nightbreakers are unavailable there.

EDIT:

Just got off the phone with someone over at Osram Sylvania here in the US. It seems the Nightbreaker is a European bulb, and would not be imported to the US through any official channels. Any US seller would then be getting them in another manner aside from the official US distribution chain.
The bulb may not be approved for use in the US...the guy on the phone didn't confirm, but I'm wondering, could it be too bright? Are there any laws that dictate maximum brightness of the D2S bulb? I'm confident that there are minimumn requirements, but not sure about maximum.

He said their brightest US Market D2S bulb was the Silverstar...I'm wondering if even the CBI are supposed to be sold in the US. From what I can tell, the Silverstar is a repackaged CBI.

 

I am purchased two sets of bulbs from ebay, both I had numerous igniting issues with. Decided to bite the bullet and buy from The Retrofit Source and the bulbs I got worked great. I still have issue with my right passenger light not turning on after initial start-up. Every time after, it's fine.

 

+1 for you get what you pay for. I'm not a big fan of Ebay. It's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. You really need to do some research before buying off of Ebay. Just because the seller has a high rating doesn't actually mean a whole lot. Example: I was looking into buying some new parts for my GSXR 1000 and I found a deal that looked REALLY good. I looked at some of the sellers other items and saw that they were also selling an entire range of womans clothes... Not one other car or motorcycle part was for sell by this person. I had to pass on the opportunity.

As for TOO bright.... I believe the only laws dictating headlights are DOT laws for beam heigth vs. distance. (like it matters though) I've not once seen some car pulled over due to the headlight beams being pointed in opposing directions. This is a frequent nuisance in S. Fla.

 

Well, that fills me with confidence

EDIT:

So all of a sudden, today, TRS has the night breakers in stock. They were unavailable yesterday.
So now I have to decide between a whiter light (CBI) or a brighter one (Night Breaker)

 

What about Amazom.com UK?

I can get a set for $147 shipped from Amazon in the UK. It says ships from and fulfilled by Amazon...so this isn't a 3rd party vendor.

Would it be reasonable to assume Amazon UK would have authentic inventory of Osram HID bulbs? Also, would I be subjected to import duties/fees doing this?

 

Also wanted to let you know that I purchased some bulbs from DiodeDynamic which yielded the same result as the ebay ones. I'm not saying that they're bulbs were cheap in any way, they just didn't work for me.

 

I also ordered from dd and had to return. I believe the only ones that are reasonably priced that work with our care is the NEW morimotos xb35. The old ones are said not to work as well so make sure u order ones with a 4500k, 5500k, or 6500k output